Polymeric materials are currently used for a wide range of garments, some of these garments (for example, raincoats and aprons) make use of the protective properties of the material. When handling hazardous or damaging substances, it is necessary to wear protective gloves. For example, in certain sectors of industry it is necessary for workers to wear heavy duty protective gloves to prevent their hands from being exposed to hazardous chemicals in the form of oils or liquids. Polymeric materials can be used for making such gloves.
It is desirable for a protective glove to be liquid impermeable and resistant to corrosion by chemicals, so as to protect a wearer's hands. However, it is also desirable for such a protective glove to be light-weight and flexible, so as not to hinder the wearer's dexterity, and have an outer surface that provides good traction between the glove and an object to being handled. It would also be desirable to provide a glove which is comfortable, so that a wearer is not inclined to remove the protective gloves in hazardous environments, e.g. by providing improved sweat absorption or dissipation properties.
Gloves with a subset of the above desirable properties are known, but generally known gloves do not exhibit all of these properties, or do not exhibit them to as great a degree as is desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,037,579 B2 relates to method of applying coatings of fibrous polymeric composite to articles such as gloves. However, these gloves provide poor tear resistance.